


Pin-up Idol

by Chelsea Frew (chelseafrew)



Category: Political Animals
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-20
Updated: 2012-12-20
Packaged: 2017-11-21 16:12:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/599680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chelseafrew/pseuds/Chelsea%20Frew
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anne Ogami has been watching the guy in the third row of English class. Now's her chance to meet him....</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pin-up Idol

**Author's Note:**

  * For [semirose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/semirose/gifts).



> Okay, here's what happened. I was struggling and struggling to come up with a good idea for your prompt, so I began the other story, already posted, called "Connections," based on an idea from my BFF. However, I wasn't at all sure how well that story was going to work, so one day, driving to work, this idea hit me. I decided to try to write both stories and see which one worked best. I ended up finishing both, and my best friend read them, liked them, and said I should post both. So, here I am, posting this second piece. I hope you enjoy the bonus story! Thanks to my above-mentioned best friend, who acted as guide, beta and cheerleader. These would not be complete without her. Any errors left are mine. Happy Holidays!

He sat in the third row of her Honors English class her freshman year (his, too). Of course, she recognized him instantly. She had grown up watching him grow up. It took her over two weeks to come up with a good excuse to talk to him. An opportunity arose when she missed a class because of a migraine, and he was the first person she saw when she returned the next day. He was already sitting in his seat, typing something into his laptop.

Pulling in a deep breath, she walked up to him and smiled. "Hi." Her greeting came out a little squeaky, so she cleared her throat and repeated herself. "Hi."

He looked a little startled by the interruption, but he smiled back at her nonetheless, and said, "Hi."

"I'm Anne Ogami," she introduced herself.

"Douglas Hammond." He held out a hand to her, and she nervously took it, barely registering its warmth under the blue gaze focused on her.

"I know," she told him.

He groaned. "Just once I'd like to meet someone who's never read _People_ magazine."

Anne shrugged, going for an apologetic air. Then she forced herself to go on. "Um, I missed class yesterday. Migraine. Is there any chance you took notes I could borrow?"

"Sure." Douglas nodded. "They're electronic. If you'll give me your e-mail address, I can send them to you."

"Thanks so much." She offered him another smile.

Disarmingly, Douglas asked, "Can I also use that e-mail address to coordinate a coffee date with you?"

"If you like," Anne allowed, inwardly shouting with glee. "I'd love to have coffee with you sometime." She pulled a pen and a notebook out of her bag, Tearing a page out of the notebook, she wrote down her name and e-mail address and handed the sheet of paper to Douglas.

"Great. We'll set something up."

Their moment was over when one of Douglas's friends came in, sat down next to him and began to go on a diatribe about the amount of homework given to them in a history class earlier that day.

Anne gave Douglas another word of thanks and headed to her seat. She didn't hear one word of the professor's lecture that day.

* * *

Anne, like many others her age, had been completely fascinated when the Hammond twins--Douglas and T.J.--moved into the White House. When their dad was elected president the boys were ten and in the fifth grade, just like Anne was. Many an article was written about the twins, and Anne devoured all of them.

As the boys grew older, T.J. became a lightning rod for the press. He was the flashier and more trouble-making of the brothers, and once the news leaked that he was gay, the nation's eyes were even more focused on him, waiting to see how he weathered the scandal.

Anne wondered what that must have been like for Douglas, being in his twin's shadow. When the promised e-mail from Douglas arrived--with an attachment and a request for a coffee date the following afternoon--she realized that she would get to ask him that very question. She accepted his invitation and spent the next twenty hours alternating between being incredibly nervous and incredibly excited about the outing.

They had arranged to meet at an off-campus coffee shop after their early afternoon classes were over. Douglas was waiting at a corner table when she arrived. She placed an order for a latte before joining him. He already had a drink sitting in front of him.

He stood as she walked up to the table. "Hi, Anne."

"Hi."

"I hope this is okay, here in the corner," he checked. "I can sometimes attract a little attention."

She nodded and smiled. "It's fine."

Like a true gentleman, he pulled a chair out for her and she took the seat with a soft, "Thank you."

After he sat back down, he said, "I have a confession to make."

"Oh?" Anne was instantly intrigued.

"I was trying to figure out a way to talk to you. If you hadn't asked me about my notes, I was going to have to find an excuse to speak to you."

She could feel a blush rising in her cheeks. "Really?"

He nodded firmly. "Really."

Boldly, she said, "I wouldn't have thought you would have any difficulty figuring out a way to meet new people."

He shrugged. "It isn't as easy as you'd think."

The barista walked up at that moment with her latte and Anne took a couple sips before asking, "What was it like?"

Douglas took a sip of his own drink. "What was what like?"

"Growing up in the White House," she clarified.

"Ah, that." He grinned wryly. "It wasn't all bad, but it definitely wasn't easy. What do you imagine it was like?"

It took her a moment to respond. She'd gotten lost for a moment in his gorgeous blue eyes. She gave her head a minute shake, then answered, "A movie theatre and a bowling alley in your house. Servants and cooks at your beck and call. Limos and famous dignitaries all around. I imagined it was pretty awesome."

He laughed, and it was instantly her favorite sound in the world. "I can't lie. Those parts were definitely fun. But there was also a serious down side to all of that."

"So, what was the down side?"

"Constant scrutiny.Never knowing who your real friends were. People saying things about you that are categorically untrue. And the expectations…. If you're the president's kid, believe me, there are all kinds of expectations."

She smiled sympathetically. "You're right, that doesn't sound fun."

"Where did you grow up?" he asked her, still nursing his drink.

"Northern Virginia."

"Sweet."

"I guess," she allowed. "But not as sweet as the Governor's Mansion and the White House."

He tilted his head and looked at her closely. The scrutiny made the hair on the back of her neck rise. "You really did read all those _People_ articles, didn't you?"

"It was fascinating, reading about kids my age getting to move into the White House. And twins, no less. Doubly intriguing! No pun intended."

Douglas rolled his eyes. "Everyone is always fascinated by the twin thing. Why is that?"

Anne shrugged. "Most of us go through life on own. Twins don't. At least that's what I imagined. Aren't you two close, you and T.J.?"

Douglas nodded. "We are. He's not just my brother. He's my best friend."

"He's not going here, is he?" Anne asked, taking a distracted sip of her latte.

"No. He's going to American. We'll see if that sticks. School really isn't his thing."

"No, from what I've read, he has different interests." She grinned lasciviously.

"You could say that."

"You must have been pretty happy that T.J.'s been the one the media's been all over the last few years," Anne supposed.

"What makes you say that?"

"It took the heat off you, didn't it?"

"You would think that would be the case, wouldn't you?" Douglas said, his tone almost wistful. "But it was pretty hard to hear and read the things they said about him. They were pretty brutal. There were times I wished there was something I could do to take the heat off him."

"I guess I didn't think about how it could have been hard for you, too," Anne admitted, even as she admired how much he clearly cared about his brother.

"I know people think he's a mess--and in a lot of ways he can be--but he's a good person, and he doesn't deserve all the nasty things the press says about it." Douglas stopped at this point and pulled in a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Anne. I didn't mean to get off on a rant. It's kind of sore subject for me."

"I can tell." Anne reached out a tentative hand to touch the back of his. "I think it's great how much you care about him. He's lucky to have you."

"And I him." Douglas seemed to remember he had a coffee in front of him and took a drink. When he was sated, he said, "We've only been talking about me here. And you already knew a lot about me. Why don't you tell me about you?"

Anne felt a blush creeping up her cheeks for the second time that hour. "My life has not been nearly as exciting as yours."

"Try me." He gave her a beguiling smile.

"Well, I grew up, as I said, in northern Virginia. Only child. My parents were strict, but great."

"Are you first generation Japanese-American?"

She shook her head. "Second. My parents were both born here."

"Cool. What's your major?"

Anne couldn't help giggling.

"What?" he asked, playing at injured. It was wildly cute, and Anne was beginning to sense she was already lost.

"Isn't that the line you were supposedto use to pick me up?"

"But you picked me up," Douglas countered. "And your pick-up line was 'hi.' So, I'm not sure you should be talking." He flashed a grin she had seen a million times in a million pictures, but this time it was all for her. So incredibly lost.

"Art," she told him. "I want to be an interior designer."

"That's great."

"Are you hoping to go into politics?"

He shrugged. "Probably. I think it's in my blood."

"So, you're majoring in political science?"

Douglas nodded.

At that moment an alarm went off on Douglas's cell phone. He checked the time on it and sighed. "Anne, I'm sorry. I completely forgot I have a study group for my economics class. It's not my strong suit, so I really can't miss it."

Anne smiled with what she trusted came across as understanding, even while she wished this coffee date would never end. "Of course."

"Can we do this again sometime soon?" he asked, smiling hopefully. "I promise not to accidentally schedule it when I have a study session."

She returned his smile easily. "I'd love to. Just e-mail and we can work something out."

"Will do." That settled, he stood and took his cup in hand. "It was nice to hang out with you, Anne Ogami. I'm looking forward to the next time." Stepping around the table, he leaned down to sweetly kiss her cheek.

Now Anne knew what it felt like to swoon. "Me, too," she managed to get out.

With one more charming grin, Douglas turned, threw his empty cup away, and hurried for the coffee shop door.

Anne sat there for a moment, taking time to relive the conversation she had just had with Douglas Hammond. Douglas Hammond! He was just as wonderful as she'd always imagined he would be. Maybe even more so. She couldn't quite believe she'd gotten to go out with him, even if it was only for a short time. And he wanted a next time!

She wondered if it was too early to go home and start refreshing her e-mail. Smiling softly to herself, she decided it wasn't.

She was home, laptop open, fifteen minutes later.

End (18 December 2012)


End file.
